Episode 1 – Heroes Unlimited

Aliens, Cyborgs, Mutants, and Stage Magicians share the pages of the 1998 classic “Heroes Unlimited.” We dive into the odd but oddly beautiful Palladium Games engine, discuss the plight of the mutant animal in a world that rejects them, and try to figure out how to destroy the invincible door in the first ever episode of System Mastery. Enjoy!

Hi! I’ve just started listening to your podcast, and you’re funny as hell, so you can probably expect to see some comments from me over the next few weeks.

Regarding Heroes Unlimited, I just wanted to say that you’re totally right about how it’s better to just ignore the mechanics entirely. I played in a game that started as HU and eventually went deep space insanity; it lasted for several years and after the first few weeks didn’t involve dice at all. Balance is a laughable concept in this system, but it’s still got some merit. ;)

Honestly the random roll thing in these games is a terrible rule and usually ends in nonsensical characters. The only way to play these systems is to allow the players to -choose- their powers. My GM had a system where he gave us like, 5 points. Minor powers cost 1 point, major powers cost 2 points and mega powers cost 3 points (is he was allowing them). Ended up with decent thematic characters.

I just want to point out, that on re-listening to this, most of the random tables allow you to choose. For instance, the Mega-Hero Power chart on pg. 181 says “Select one or roll….” That’s pretty standard for Palladium Games products.